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Australia

geography Maturity 7-9 Vital Level 3 Next article →

Australia is a huge country in the region called Oceania.

Australia with AAT (orthographic projection)
Australia with AAT (orthographic projection)

It is the sixth-largest country in the entire world. The land is very special because it is the flattest and driest inhabited continent on Earth.

Reliefmap of Australia
Reliefmap of Australia

Because it is so large, you can find many different landscapes. There are hot deserts in the middle of the country. You can also find wet, green tropical rainforests along the coast.

Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island

Many different living things call this diverse place home.

Life in Australia has a very long and deep history. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians arrived from Southeast Asia a long time ago. This happened between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago.

Bradshaw rock paintings
Bradshaw rock paintings

They built one of the oldest living cultures in the world. These people used songs, dances, and paintings to share their stories. Some groups even used fire-stick farming to help manage the land. Torres Strait Islander people also settled their islands at least 2,500 years ago. They were skilled seafarers who lived off the reefs and the sea.

Later, explorers from other lands began to visit the coast. Dutch explorers mapped much of the coastline during the 1600s. They called the land New Holland.

Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770 (painting by E Phillips Fox)
Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770 (painting by E Phillips Fox)

In 1770, Captain James Cook mapped the east coast. He named it New South Wales for Great Britain. The British then started a penal colony in 1788. This was a place where people sent for committing crimes.

PortArthurPenitentiary
PortArthurPenitentiary

Over time, many more settlers arrived from all over the world.

Australia became a single nation through a process called federation. Before this, there were several separate British colonies. In 1901, these colonies joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Opening of the first parliament
Opening of the first parliament

Today, the country is made of six states and ten territories. It is a democracy with a constitutional monarchy. Canberra is the capital city of the nation.

Canberra (AU), Parliament House -- 2019 -- 1746
Canberra (AU), Parliament House -- 2019 -- 1746

The most crowded cities are Sydney and Melbourne. Each of those cities has more than five million people.

Modern Australia is a very busy and successful place. It has a highly developed economy and many natural resources. People from many different countries live there today. This makes the culture very diverse.

Australian Residents by Country of Birth 2021 Census
Australian Residents by Country of Birth 2021 Census

Most people live in cities near the eastern coast.

Sydney central business district skyline, August 2021
Sydney central business district skyline, August 2021

Australia is also a member of many international groups like the United Nations. It works with other countries on trade and safety. The country is known for having a high quality of life for its people.

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🖼️ Images & Media (31)
U.S. Navy Band, Advance Australia Fair...
File:Australia with AAT (orthographic projection).svg
Australia with AAT (orthographic projection).svg
File:Territorial waters - Australia.svg
Territorial waters - Australia.svg
File:Bradshaw rock paintings.jpg
Bradshaw rock paintings.jpg
File:Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Botany Bay, 29 April 1770 (painting by E Phillips Fox).jpg
Landing of Lieutenant James Cook at...
File:PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg
PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg
File:Opening of the first parliament.jpg
Opening of the first parliament.jpg
File:Darwin 42.jpg
Darwin 42.jpg
File:Dutch Migrant 1954 MariaScholte=50000thToAustraliaPostWW2.jpg
Dutch Migrant 1954...
File:Reliefmap of Australia.png
Reliefmap of Australia.png
File:Fitzroy Island.jpg
Fitzroy Island.jpg
File:Uluru, helicopter view, cropped.jpg
Uluru, helicopter view, cropped.jpg

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